Triple Agent
by Capt. Maule
Summary: Zelos' actions behind the scenes after his betrayal gambit at the Tower of Salvation. Rated for certain sections.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

Warning - Just as a heads up, this story lives up to the M rating right of the bat in this first chapter. Do not read if you shouldn't be

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Triple Agent - Chapter One 

'Colette, come here for a second…' Zelos called over to the blonde stood a ways behind him, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. Colette stepped nervously to his side, grabbing his arm with both of her hands. The man patted her gently, his resolve coming close to cracking.

'_Fuck_' Zelos thought to himself, unable to look the girl in the face, afraid his courage would leave him '_I can't blow this, not now_'

Taking a steadying breath, Zelos led Colette further into the sanctum until she stood on the hidden warp pad he had been instructed to place her on. The red haired Chosen took one last look back at the seven people he had come to care so much for. Seeing the trust they placed in him gave him the perspective he needed. If he didn't do this, there was no way they could stop Mithos, and everything they had worked for would be for nothing. Taking a deep breath, Zelos struck the pillar at his side in a precise spot and the performance of his life began.

The ground beneath Colette's feet jerked upwards slightly, and became bathed in a faint green glow. A battalion of armoured angels appeared as if from nowhere, their emotionless eyes trained on their prize below. A shadow pooled on the altar, high above the stunned party, giving shape to Pronyma herself.

'Good work, Chosen' she said with malice, gazing down at the scene before her with barely concealed glee. The Grand Cardinal activated the corresponding warp panel and Colette was transported up onto the dais beside her.

'Lloyd!' the stricken blonde cried, reaching towards her companions in terror.

'Colette!' the brunette roared, hands flying to the hilts of his fathers swords, he turned disbelievingly to face the red haired Chosen 'What's going on Zelos?'

'Damn, Lloyd…' Zelos drawled, his lips curling up into a vicious smile 'you really are the _dumbest_ bastard in both worlds'. Crouching low to the ground, the man pushed into the air in an effortless leap. Arcing over head he landed gracefully between Pronyma and Colette.

'You pathetic creatures' Pronyma smirked; shaking her head 'Zelos has been our spy from the very beginning' she spoke with apparent glee. Zelos cringed inwardly; he truly hated how that woman revelled in other people's misery.

'No…' Sheena whispered, staring at the red head, breaking the silence that had fallen over the dumbstruck group 'you deceived us?'

'Please…' Zelos sneered 'I always side with the winning team, babe. You know that. I just had to scope out the competition, that's all. It was a simple matter of weighing in Cruxis, those idiot Renegades…' he gave a harsh laugh 'and all of you people. All things considered, you folks came in dead last. But you don't need me to tell you that, right?'

'I…I can't believe this' Lloyd muttered, staring, eyes refusing to see, arms falling slack against his sides 'I _wont_ believe this…'

'Believe it, worm' Pronyma cut in disdainfully, moving up behind Zelos, her lips brushing against his ear. Zelos forced himself to respond positively, leaning back into her touch, reaching a hand up behind him and twisting his fingers into her green streaked hair, pushing her closer. Looking down at Raine, he almost lost his composure, the heartbreak on her face was absolute and the tears pooling in her eyes was nearly his undoing. He couldn't afford to lose focus on this now; the fallout would have to wait until later, if there even was a later.

'In the end I chose this side…' Zelos smirked, feeling Pronyma's cold lips trace down the back of his neck and her sharp nails raking up his stomach, under his black vest. Raine's fingers gripped her staff tighter, her knuckles turning bone white. 'Because Mithos agreed to release me from my fate as a Chosen, so _I_ win, the title and prestige will pass to Seles, so _she_ wins, and he gets the vessel he's been dying to get his little hands on, so _he_ wins' Zelos smiled cruelly at the defeated party 'the only losers in this deal are you fools. You who fell for the con, hook, line and sinker'

'You hate being the Chosen so much…' Regal spoke up, as disbelieving as any of them 'that you would betray your friends?'

'_Friends_?' Zelos spat, making his words count 'Don't make me laugh. Not one of you ever truly trusted me. Don't feel bad or anything, I mean, I did deceive you and all…' he spun in Pronyma's grip, reversing their position, pulling her back flush against his chest. 'Lets get going' he said in a low whisper, darting his tongue out to trace the shell of her pointed ear, causing her to gasp and grind herself against him.

'We leave the rest to you' Pronyma ground out distractedly, not even looking across to the angel commander, shuddering when Zelos grazed her neck with his teeth. The winged soldier gave a sharp nod in acknowledgement, raising his spear in signal to the surrounding angels. Immediately the battalion closed ranks and drew their weapons as one, advancing on the party.

'I still trust you, Zelos!' Lloyd yelled pleadingly 'you hear me? I still trust you!'

Zelos laughed harshly again, and cast Lloyd a pitying look. For a second, the man's eyes darted to the silver haired teacher. She had slid down to her knees; hands still gripping her staff, tears were now flowing freely down her pale face. Something in Zelos' face must have faltered because the woman blinked confusedly, her eyes narrowing minutely.

'_Fuck_' thought Zelos for the second time '_Raine if you think something's up, for the love of Martel, don't say anything' _he willed desperately.

'Pathetic' Pronyma spat at the determined boy, reclining deeper into Zelos' embrace. Casually she re-activated the transporter and, along with her ally and her captive, began to fade from view in a haze of light.

'Lloyd!' Colette shrieked in desperation, held down by the two remaining angel guardians.

The last thing Zelos saw before the transporter sent him away was Raine blasting one of the angels into dust with an overwhelming surge of white magic.

'Keep fighting, Raine' he thought, allowing himself a small genuine smile 'I'll come back to you as soon as I can'

* * *

The small group materialised deep within the confines of the Tower of Salvation. The silence was disturbed only by Colette who had begun to sob quietly; the poor girl could not understand why her friend was doing this.

'Enough of your snivelling, brat' Pronyma hissed at the crying blond. She gestured to the two angel guards flanking their prisoner 'take her to Lord Yggdrassil' Colette looked up at Zelos with her watery blue eyes, a pleading expression on her face. Zelos took a discreet breath and lowered his voice so far, that only the young angel's highly tuned senses could hear him.

'_Colette, I need you to trust me_' he whispered, fighting to keep his lips from moving '_I promise you're gonna be fine. Blink twice if you can hear me_'

The red haired man watched as the young girl sniffed quietly and blinked the tears out of her eyes. Twice. Zelos smiled inwardly.

'Well that makes at least one who might just forgive me' he thought bracingly. The two angel guards saluted sharply and pulled the girl to her feet, hauling her away down the tunnel towards their Lord. The red haired man knew that the two soldiers heard every word during his covert exchange with Colette, but he wasn't worried. Every angel warrior in Yggdrasil's private army was an empty shell. Their senses were all intact to the point of superhuman, but comprehension was a different story altogether. The only thing they responded to was a direct order from a superior, so as far as Zelos' words to Colette were concerned, the two guards might as well have been deaf. He was brought out of his thoughts by the feeling of a finger tracing his spine and warm breath against the back of his neck.

'Bravo, Wilder' Pronyma purred, easing herself into he contours of his body 'those pathetic worms never saw that coming. Our Lord will be pleased' Zelos was disgusted at how the evil woman got off on the despair of her enemies, but he had to remain under the guise of an ally.

'_Your_ Lord, not mine' Zelos corrected, turning in her arms to look her in the eye, their faces inches apart. 'I look out for one person and one person only. _Me_'

'Then you're as selfish and as self serving as I am' she replied evenly, before lunging across he short distance between them and crushing her lips to his. Instinctively, Zelos responded just as fiercely, pulling her body tight against his, causing the woman to gasp into his mouth. She pushed him against the tunnel wall and began to grind herself against him. Though outwardly on fire, Zelos' insides were turning to ice, he did not have time for this. The party would still be fighting off the hoards of angels, but soon they would be on their way through the tower. Mithos, in his sickening amusement, had littered their planned route with countless traps in an attempt to divide the group. They had no chance of getting through without inside help; he would have to catch up to them when they got there, but to do that he needed to get Pronyma off his back. However, the man could not afford to blow his cover yet, he would have to act as the evil woman's pet for just a little while longer, and that meant giving her what she wanted. Zelos was jerked out of his thoughts by the sharp pain of Pronyma biting hard on his lower lip, drawing pinpricks of blood. Growling, he spun around slamming her harshly against the wall.

'That's it, Wilder' she moaned, closing her eyes as his lips fell upon her exposed neck 'Give me your best' she cried out with both pleasure and pain when he bit down hard

'You couldn't handle my best, hot lips' he smirked. At that moment, their words were dropped between them and action became their language. Pronyma pulled at his corral coloured jacket insistently and the man shrugged it from his shoulders, his fingers expertly finding the clasps of her armoured chest plate, exposing her large breasts to the draughty tunnel. Dropping the metal plate to the ground with a reverberating clang, Zelos dragged his hands up the Cardinal's toned body and she groaned with want as his gloved fingers tweaked her nipples roughly. Reaching up she tore his black vest straight down the centre and off his broad frame.

'That was my favourite vest' he growled, pushing her harder against the wall, and Pronyma only laughed in response.

'Less talk, pretty boy…' she purred, reaching down between them to grasp at the large bulge at the front of his pants '…more fucking'

Zelos immediately complied, taking the peak of her heaving breast into his mouth, tracing it with his tongue, and reaching down to her excuse of lower body wear to find her already soaking through. Sliding the damp cloth aside he wasted no time with inserting two digits into her wet centre. Pronyma cried out, sinking her sharp nails into his shoulders and arched her back, pushing her chest even closer to him.

'More…' she panted, bucking wildly against his hand, and the man placated her by using his thumb to apply pressure to the bundle of nerves at the top of her opening. She cried out in ecstasy, twisting both her hands into his hair, bringing his lips to hers and engaging him in another ferocious kiss. Their tongues writhed against each other in a skirmish for dominance, neither willing to give in to the other. Pulling back, the dark haired woman locked his gaze with eyes burning with pure lust.

'_Now_' was all she said, her hand grasping at his belt aggressively, tearing it away and tugging at the button of his baggy white pants. Knocking aside her shaking hands, Zelos made short work of his attire and freed his erect member from its confines. Wrenching aside her lower garment again, he guided himself to her slick entrance. He caught her violet eyes again for a second before lifting her bodily into the air. She wrapped her long legs around his waist, pulling herself onto him, his thick shaft sliding into her fluidly. Pronyma cried out loudly as she was stretched to accommodate him, throwing her head back as Zelos thrust in and out of her, hard and fast.

'More!' the Cardinal screamed, digging her steel booted heels into his rear, forcing him deeper into her. Once again Zelos complied with her wishes, increasing his rhythm twofold, his own breathing growing heavier by the moment. Pronyma rocked hard against him; the pain of her bare back grazing against the stone wall behind her was only increasing her arousal. Zelos took her firm backside in both his hands, burying himself to the hilt, his wild hair whirling around him. He growled into her neck when she raked her nails down his back, drawing thin lines of blood. Pronyma's cries reached a crescendo as she found her release, her arms clutching his body tightly. The feeling of her inner walls tightening around his member drove him to his own climax, and the woman shuddered in the waves of her own orgasm as his heat filled her. Silence once again fell on the tunnel, broken by their harsh and ragged breathing.

'That was incredible' Pronyma sighed, a satisfied smirk appearing on her painted lips as she pushed her sweat slicked hair out of her flushed face.

'Don't sound so surprised, legs' Zelos replied, sliding slowly out of her, drawing a moan from he woman. She removed her powerful thighs from around his waist as he set her down on the stone ground; she kept her arms around his neck while the feeling came back to her legs. 'You're not fooling anyone'

Pronyma stepped away from him, looking around for her abandoned clothing, while Zelos leaned against the tunnel wall rethreading his belt. She slipped back into her plated armour with a sated expression on her face, gasping as the cool metal touched her heated skin. She surprised him by also picking up his discarded jacket and throwing it around his shoulders. The woman buttoned the garment over his chest with an odd look on her face that could only be affection.

'Its time I got back to Lord Yggdrassil' she said, absently straightening his collar.

'So that's a no to cuddling then?' Zelos smirked, smoothing his white headband over his wild hair in an attempt to tame it back to its usual order. Pronyma laughed, and he was thrown by the lack of cruelty or bitterness in the sound.

'In your dreams, Wilder' she replied, returning his confident smirk. Fully dressed, she turned without preamble and swept off down the tunnel towards the second transporter, her heels clinking on the stone ground and a noticeable sway in her shapely hips. The woman's heels clinked on the metal disk as she turned to face him. With one last toss of her streaked hair and a sultry wink, the Cardinal vanished in a vortex of light, leaving Zelos alone in the silence of the passageway.

'What the hell was that?' he asked to the empty space. A loud rumble shook him out of his bafflement. '_Fuck!_' he exclaimed and took off towards the sound. He was late; the party was on the move.

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Chapter 2 coming soon


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

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Triple Agent - Chapter Two

Zelos tore through the tunnels as fast as he could, following the sounds of battle. He arrived in the large cavern that served as the angel's barracks in time to see Regal lunge into combat with a hoard of winged soldiers. Judging by the scores of fallen warriors and masses of down littering the ground, the Duke had been fighting alone for some time. Thrusting an armoured boot into the chest of an attacking angel, halting its advance, Regal turned to see Zelos hurtling towards him, drawing his blade. The convict took a defensive position, unsure of whether or not to take this new presence as a threat. Zelos took the hesitation away by lunging at the nearest angel and running it through in one swift pass. Accepting the aid for what it was, the Duke turned back to his winged assailants and dived back into the fray. Working in tandem, the two cut through the small army, Regal's grieves blurring with motion, Zelos' blade flashing with deadly intent. As the last angel fell motionless to the ground, the red haired man focused his magic into his hands and moved toward the larger man, who stiffly took a step backwards.

'Easy, El Presedenté, I'm just gonna heal you, alright?' Zelos assured the man. After a moment, Regal gave the barest of nods.

'Explain' he said simply in his deep voice, watching closely as Zelos released his healing light over him, soothing his numerous, but thankfully superficial wounds.

'No time' Zelos replied sharply 'the short hand is I'm still on Team Bumpkin, all that stuff before was an act for Cruxis eyes. I'd never betray you guys' Regal was silent for a long moment, assessing the sincerity in the younger mans words. Zelos shifted under the intense scrutiny of the cuffed mans gaze.

'Come on, old man, I didn't hurt your feelings did I?' he said, not meeting the blue haired mans eyes, feeling like a badly behaved child before a scolding parent. The businessman's stoic expression cracked as he chuckled, a low sound in his chest.

'Thank you, Zelos' said Regal, gesturing at the defeated angels with his bound hands, smiling slightly. The younger man let out a breath of relief.

'Yeah, yeah' he replied, waving his own hand dismissively 'and thank _you_ for believing me, man' he added seriously. Getting back to business he pointed towards an opening on the far side of the cavern.

'Head on up that way 'till you get to a small room with a teleporter, the others will be along soon. Wait. For. Me. There' he emphasized heavily

'Yes, Sir' Regal deadpanned, taking off towards the tunnel.

'You got a bizarre sense of timing for making jokes, old man!' Zelos called after him, already heading in the opposite direction, more than a little surprised to hear the other mans laughter echo behind him. Shaking his head in his own amusement, the red haired man ducked into another passage, tracing the party's progress, hoping the others would be as forgiving as the Duke.

* * *

Zelos arrived at the location of the second trap more or less knowing what to expect. Mithos had retrieved and restrained a large chunk of the out of control great tree above a bridge in the room below, the gnarled root was left there to thrash madly, blocking anyone who wanted to pass over the bridge. He also knew that it was just as susceptible to the combined might of the Tethe'alla summon spirits as the rest of it was, and only one person in both worlds was capable of harnessing that power. Sure enough, when he reached the edge of the pit he heard sounds of a female someone straining and scuffling just over the side. Peering over, he saw Sheena clutched to the stone, attempting to haul herself up with little success.

'Well hey there, sweetness' he called down to her, brazenly. Her head whipped around to face him at a speed that must have been painful and he instantly regretted speaking.

'You _bastard_!' the ninja shrieked, apoplectic with rage, her exhaustion suddenly a distant memory. Trying to ignore her anger along with her multiple curses, the red haired man stretched himself over the ledge overlooking the abyss and reached out for her hand.

'Come on, reach up' Zelos said, waggling his fingers at her 'I swear I'll explain when you're safe' Sheena seemed to debate with herself, and Zelos was somewhat hurt that she was seriously deliberating between taking his hand and falling to her death.

'But then again' he thought, remembering his own harsh words 'I wouldn't be too inclined to trust me either'

Eventually the young summoner reached up and took his hand in hers, squeezing tightly. Grinning, Zelos hoisted her up to the ledge. She allowed him to help her to her feet carefully and look her over for injuries, all the while staring unflinchingly at him. When he was done he looked up just in time to see a fist flying towards his face. Her strike caught him across the cheek, snapping his head violently to one side.

'Okay…so I definitely deserved that' he said, rubbing the soon to be sore spot, gingerly working his jaw. Sheena's expression said that she wholeheartedly agreed with his assertion. She stood with her fists clenched, almost vibrating with rage, silently demanding a vindication.

'Alright, here's how it is' he started, taking a precautionary step backwards in case she decided to swing for him again 'I'm still with you guys, I just had to do all that so I could, uh, get behind enemy lines I guess. I can't explain it all right now, so if you have any trust left for me, any at all, now's the time to use it' he looked up to see how she was absorbing this information and was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

'Idiot' was all she said as she slowly stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in an unexpected hug

'No arguments there, honey' he said, rubbing her back as he returned her hug gently, grinning ear to ear now he knew that she believed him again. They stood motionless for a moment, each glad to have the other back, before Zelos spoke up again;

'Not that I'm not enjoying that body of yours so _very_ close to mine, we are on a schedule here…' he joked, trying to lighten the heavy tension that had fallen over them.

'Sorry…' the woman replied, drawing away from him and swiping away her tears before they had a chance to fall '…just thought you were really gone, y'know?' she mumbled, eyes on the ground.

'As if I'd miss my calling to save the day' Zelos replied, tipping her chin up with his hand so that she would look him in the eyes 'don't you know how many more chicks I'd get as the saviour of the world?' Glad to finally see a smile back on her face, the man motioned for her to follow him, leading her to a hidden transporter through the rubble.

'This thing will take you to where Regal _should_ be waiting' Zelos said, hitting a few buttons on the console by the wall 'wait for me there while I round up the others, then we can go kick Yggdrassil's ass, got it?' she nodded and hopped gracefully onto the round disk.

'Be careful' she said so quietly he almost missed it. He inclined his head in a courtly bow and sent her on her way with the push of a button.

'_That's two for two_' Zelos thought, staring at the empty podium for a moment before sprinting off down the tunnel the others had gone down.

* * *

Zelos' heart was pounding in his chest as he raced towards his destination. The passage through the next room was blocked by three automated doors bound by heavy locks, the only way through was to bypass the security device using the console placed nearby in the centre of the area. Mithos, with his twisted planning, had booby trapped the controls and rigged the tunnel to collapse if they were tampered with. Raine was the only one besides himself who could operate the machinery, which meant she was in dire peril. Coming to the closed doorway he hit the release button and waited.

'Come on, come on' he muttered edgily. The door shifted open slowly and he squeezed himself through the increasing gap. There was Raine in the centre of the room, clutching the infernal console that had doomed her, the last floor panel beneath her about to give way. Reason being the farthest thing from his mind, he dived across the gap, landing behind the silver haired woman. He wrapped his arms around her body, exsphere burning in his chest, and with a mighty leap, bore them both back to the safety of the open doorway. The two lay there on the ground, gasping for breath for a long moment. Zelos pulled Raine tighter to his body, her back to his chest while she clutched onto his arms.

'It's okay, you're okay now, you're safe' he soothed, trying his very best not to think about how close she had come to falling and how close he had come to losing her.

'Zelos?' she murmured, almost too softly to be heard. She turned in his arms to look at him with wide eyes 'you came back' she said with wonder, tears sliding down her cheeks.

'Baby, I never left' he whispered taking her face in his gloved hands, drying away her tears with his thumbs. Suddenly she was kissing him, with more intensity than she ever had before. Relief burning through him like a fire, Zelos kissed her back, matching her fervour. Her tongue darted between his open lips and she rolled him onto his back, straddling his hips. His hands stole under her white shirt, massaging her back and she moaned into his mouth. The feelings of her hands on his skin almost made him lose control and he brought his hands to her hips to hold her steady.

'Raine…' he said, reluctantly turning his head to break the kiss, chuckling as she almost caught a mouthful of his red hair. She pulled back with equal reluctance. 'We have to move, _now_' Zelos insisted, lightly stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. Raine rose up off his form and stepped back, giving him space to push up to his feet. As soon as he was standing he pulled the scholar into a tight embrace that she readily returned.

'I thought we had to move?' she asked quietly, twisting a strand of his long hair in her fingers, with a smile that he heard rather than saw.

'Yeah, yeah, just a second' he replied, pressing his lips to the side of her neck, eliciting a light giggle from the professor that he was happier to hear than he cared to admit. 'Almost lost you back there, y'know' he added softly, squeezing her tightly.

'I thought I'd lost _you_ when you left' the teacher returned, drawing back to look him in the eye, which he avoided guiltily. She cupped his cheek in her hand and gently turned his head, so that he would face her. 'But when you looked at me, right before that…_woman_ took you away. And I knew you would come back to us…' she smiled up at him '…to me.' Zelos was moved by the sincerity in her voice, and he covered her lips with his own again.

'Can't tell you how glad I am that you still believed in me' he murmured against her lips. The two stood in silence for a long moment. Zelos dropped his lips onto the top of her head while she fisted her hands into his pink jacket. She pulled back slightly.

'What happened to your vest?' she asked, slightly confused, and Zelos let out a bitter sigh.

'You just had to be the one to notice that little detail didn't you?' he replied, laughing humourlessly 'I'll answer any questions you have once we're out of here, I swear' he said seriously. Taking her hand he guided her down the tunnel to the transporter he had arrived on. Quickly setting the co-ordinates he helped her up onto the metal disk.

'I'm sending you to Regal and Sheena' he said, still holding both her hands 'I'm going to find Presea and your brother, I promise. Then I'm not letting go of you for a long time' he added earnestly.

'You better not' Raine replied, trying to smile, knowing that he was heading back into danger 'I'll see you soon'

'Better believe it' he responded, releasing her hands and hitting the button to send her to safety. He committed every inch of her being to his memory as she faded out of existence in bright waves of light. When she was gone he sagged against the wall, allowing his relief to flood his system

'_She's safe_' he thought, unable to keep the beaming smile off his face '_we're not out of the woods yet, but at least she's safe_' with renewed energy, he backtracked to the room Raine had sent the last of their party through.

'Two to go' he muttered, staring at the gaping hole in the ground, forcing the image of Raine falling out if his mind again. Exsphere blinking to life in his chest, Zelos leaped from the ledge to the wall perpendicular to the pit, kicking off hard with his leg he launched away from the stone, gaining the necessary velocity to clear the gap. Landing, he stepped forward to absorb the shock of the descent, idly thinking how much easier all this would have been if he had wings like Colette. The thought immediately reminded him that his Cruxis crystal was still in Raine's possession, and knowing that train of thought would drive him to distraction, he pressed on to the transporter waiting at the end of the passage. Pushing the buttons on the nearby controls, the disk hummed to life. Refocusing his mind, Zelos stepped onto the pad, the world around him fading away as he continued his pursuit.

* * *

Coming out of the teleporter at a run, Zelos skidded to a halt in front of a large metal door. Peering at the ground he saw a metal grate and tracing his gaze upwards, he observed a small vent.

'No way am I getting through that' he mused, turning his attention back to the door. He scratched away at the overgrowth on the right hand side of the metal. 'Bingo!' he said aloud as he uncovered a small panel of buttons. Inputting a combination he cursed as a low beep sounded and the device flashed an angry red. Zelos wracked his mind for the codes he had memorized on his previous visit. After seven more flares of red, there was a high pitched sound followed by a welcome green light.

'_Booyah_!' the red haired man whooped as the door slid open smoothly and he slipped through. At first glance the room appeared empty, the heavy blast doors in their closed position on one side and a mass of gnarled roots in the corner of the other. Looking at the ground, Zelos was disturbed to see several scuffs and scratch marks, as though someone had been dragged forcefully across the room. Following the marks from the heavy doors to the tangle of roots, the man moved closer to the heap, eyes narrowed.

'There!' he cried wildly, thrusting both his arms into the plant, towards the flash of pink that had darted across his vision. Rummaging through the dry vines, he felt a pair of small hands grab onto his left forearm.

'Hold on!' he yelled into the undergrowth, feeling blindly for the owner of the arms, finding a small waist he hauled as hard as he could while taking as much care as possible. Panting, Zelos could just make out a pink pig-tailed head and with one last heave; the rest of Presea emerged from the roots, coughing heavily. As soon as she was free, the plant, or whatever creature it was, went haywire and tried to grab back what it had lost. Zelos kicked it it away, holding Presea close to him. Retreating rapidly, he freed up a hand and focused inwardly, finding his centre. His magic responded instantly, a fireball leaping into his hand, wasting no time he hurled the flaming orb into what he hoped was the body of the plant. Immediately it burst into flames, its vines flailing uselessly and Zelos watched it become reduced to nothing more than ash with no small amount of satisfaction before looking down at the girl tucked under his arm.

'Well hi there, rosebud' he said brightly, breathing heavily from the exertion, and for the first time the pink haired girl realised who had rescued her.

'Zelos' she said, looking up at him with those big, calculating eyes of hers. 'You did not betray us' she stated rather than asked.

'No, little one, I didn't' he replied, smiling at her 'You'd all get killed without the Great Zelos' Presea giggled softly, truly sounding like the age she appeared for a moment. Standing up Zelos carefully set her down on her feet, looking at her bruised arms with concern. Hovering his hands over her he focused his magic again, this time to heal. Presea squirmed slightly and giggled again, and Zelos quirked an eyebrow at her in question.

'Tickles' she said, shyly fidgeting while the red haired man finished his work. Zelos beamed at her;

'All done, cutey' he declared, patting her small shoulders, he then made a show of checking his pockets 'The lollipop might have to wait though… mind taking an I.O.U just this once?' Presea smiled that small smile of hers and held out her hand. Taking it in his own gloved one, Zelos approached the console beside the blast doors. He quickly inserted the code he had used on the adjoining door, fully expecting a negative reaction from the machine. He was pleasantly surprised by the huge doors opening with nothing more than a loud hiss.

'Must be my lucky day…' he murmured, looking down beside him at Presea, who stared blankly back 'never mind, sweetness. Let's get out of here.' The two passed quickly through the now open doorway to the teleporter waiting for them on the other side.

'I'm sending you to the others, alright?' Zelos said, hitting more buttons as Presea clambered onto the platform 'I'll be bringing Genis along in just a little while. Think you can keep them all from going crazy with that sunny personality of yours?' this coaxed a slightly larger smile out of the girl and she nodded the affirmative, treating him to a tiny wave as she vanished from his sight.

'Watching people I care about disappear through those damn things is getting really old…' Zelos whispered to no one with a sigh, savagely inputting the co-ordinates last used on the teleporter controls. Jumping up onto the disk he waited as it buzzed back to life and the light picked up once more around him. 'One more to go' he murmured, before the device spirited him away.

* * *

Zelos stepped off the transporter slowly, squinting at what he saw in the gloom of the tunnel. Four fields of energy were blocking a crossroads in the passageway, and looking closer, the red head could make out the blurred shape of Genis Sage curled up on the ground in the centre.

'_This isn't going to be easy_' Zelos thought to himself, peering at the sniffling boy's back. Children were not the easiest of people to rationalise with when they were trapped, terrified and alone.

'Hey, squirt' the man called out softly, trying to coax the small mage out of his fear. Genis jerked around sharply to see Zelos' distorted image through the barrier, and with a choked sob he scrambled backwards, trying to put more distance between them.

'You've come to kill me, haven't you!' he cried wildly, his voice quivering, pointing an accusing finger at the man.

'No' Zelos returned sternly, holding his hands up in what he hoped was a peaceful manner 'I'm here to get you out' he turned to the console at the edge of the tunnel and pressed the necessary codes to deactivate the barrier. Genis started as the walls of shimmering light came down around him.

'You're lying!' he yelled, stumbling to his feet and attempting to flee from the swordsman. His small foot caught in an upturned stone slab and he fell, sprawling to the ground. 'You're_ lying_!' he repeated, tears welling up in his eyes at the pain of his unexpected fall. Zelos moved slowly towards him as though approaching a cornered animal, separated from its mother, deciding to play his trump card.

'Genis, I've come to take you to back to Raine' he said carefully. That got the boy's attention.

'Raine?' the half-elf asked, fear momentarily forgotten 'she's okay?' Zelos smiled warmly at the familiar sound of hope creeping back into the silver haired boy's voice.

'Yeah, she's fine, they all are' the tall man said gently

'So you haven't…' Genis started, swallowing back his fear, beginning to wrap his head around what was going on '…really betrayed anyone?'

'Absolutely not' Zelos replied firmly '…well, _Cruxis_ might disagree, come to think of it. But I reckon it's about time someone pulled the wool over _their_ eyes for a change, am I right?'

'Yeah…' the little mage sniggered, his terror finally leaving him alone. His cheer suddenly vanished as his eyes focused on something over Zelos' shoulder. Whirling around, the swordsman saw a platoon of angels stepping through the portal he had so foolishly left open, presumably sent by Pronyma to secure their prisoners. The soldiers looked from Zelos to Genis and the red haired man could almost hear the gears turning in their soulless minds.

'Traitor' said their leader, a stocky warrior with a golden tint to his heavy plated armour, in a monotone, his visor covered face staring at Zelos, 'Prisoner escape, initiating pursuit'. As a unit, the angels freed their weapons and marched towards the pair, wings slowly starting to unfold. Knowing in that instant that he wouldn't be able to countermand their intentions, Zelos turned swiftly and ran for Genis. Scoping the exhausted child into his arms he ran the opposite direction to the angels, toward the second teleporter Lloyd must have left through. Reaching the input console on the wall, he punched in the co-ordinates leading to the rendezvous spot he had sent the others.

'Duck!' Genis suddenly screamed. Heart jumping, Zelos did so as a pair of arrows pierced the stone above their heads. Transporter humming into existence the man lunged towards it and the safety it would bring. Just a few meters short of sanctuary, an arrow sank into his thigh and he dipped to one knee in a haze of pain. Seeing no alternative, the wounded man hurled the boy in his arms with all his might towards the light of the open portal. The mage streaked through the air in a blur of blue and silver and disappeared through the beam of light. Exphere glowing in his chest Zelos forced himself onto his good leg. Hearing a whoosh of wings behind him he knew he guards were almost on top of him and with one surge of energy he launched himself toward the shimmering disk. Turning in the air he focused a handful of lightening into his hand and thrust it through a gap in the descending angels at the control console. Before he could see if his spell had hit its mark, his attackers and their surroundings faded away.

* * *

Chapter 3 coming soon


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

* * *

Triple Agent - Chapter Three

Raine paced back and forth in the dusty cavern, beside herself with worry. The party had each trickled in to the safe area one by one, each relaying their instructions to wait for Zelos to return. The teacher had made herself ready to heal the others as they came through, but found everyone in top condition. Concentrating, she could sense the familiar residue of healing magic surrounding them and knew Zelos' had been at work. Pacing another lap, she tried not to think about how much he was exerting himself to bring everyone back safely. The woman cast a glance over at Presea who was sat in silence with Sheena. The young girl had been the last to come through the portal, bringing with her the task Zelos had set her with as she stepped delicately off the metal disk. 'Keep everyone from going crazy' the girl had intoned, and Raine couldn't help but smile at that, it sounded so much like him. The pink haired girl's arrival had done a terrific job of calming everyone's nerves, but the scholar couldn't help but worry. Her brother and her…whatever that man had become to her… were both still out there. The silence in the room was almost deafening when the transporter opened without warning and Genis came flying through the portal, landing in a heap before them all.

'Genis!' Raine cried, rushing to the boy's side and turning him over, frantically checking him for injuries. 'What happened, where's Zelos?'

'There were soldiers right behind us and he threw me! He _threw me_ into the transporter!' the mage cried hysterically, looking wildly back at the open portal he had come hurtling out of, as did the others. After a long, tense moment, Zelos came falling backwards through the beam of light. He landed hard on his shoulders and rolled swiftly to his feet, wincing when pressure was placed onto his injured leg. In an instant, there was a hiss of metal clearing its sheath as the man whisked out his sword and threw his arm back, wordlessly telling the others to stay back. He stood motionless, staring that the light he had arrived through. He was about to breath a sigh of relief when a lone angel soared through the closing portal in a gust of feathers. Disorientated from its trip, the soldier continued its path towards Zelos. Ducking its wild swing, the red head thrust his sword hard into the angel's chest, burying it to the hilt. The sharp steel sheared through the soldier's chain mail and flesh alike, piercing its body savagely and bursting out its back, just between the shoulder blades. Zelos held on tightly to the struggling body as the last breaths gurgled from its throat. The angel blinked for a few moments longer, its mouth opening and closing soundlessly, before the last of its life drained from its body. Shoving the soldier aside, the red haired swordsman fell backwards into a sitting position and looked behind him at the stunned party.

'Would anyone mind taking this damn arrow out of my leg?' he ground out. The rest of the group crowded round him, relieved to be reunited again. Before anyone could say anything, Raine grabbed his head in both her hands and pulled him into a fierce kiss. If the silence before was huge, it was nothing compared to the one that followed the silver haired teacher's action. She broke the kiss and pulled Zelos into a hug.

'Thank you for bringing my brother back' she said shakily, more for the other's benefit than anything else. She hoped idly that they didn't suspect anything and thought that her sudden outburst was down to relief for Genis' safety, which it was, but only in part. Those few seconds of uncertainty before the red haired man burst from the transporter had been among the worst of her life. Although, she wasn't about to admit that to anyone else anytime soon.

'No problem, Professor Babe, I'll make sure to do it more often if that's the reward for a job well done' Zelos said with an excess of his usual bravado. It had the desired effect as the tension that had isolated the pair from the rest of the party was wiped discreetly away.

'Yeah, well done, hero' Sheena spoke up, smirking 'just don't go thinking you're getting one from _me_ though…'

'Oh, come on!' Zelos groaned, a whine creeping into his voice 'I've earned kissed from _everyone_ by my count, honey' he looked up at the ninja with a comically pleading expression while she looked straight back, her mouth twitching 'No dice?' Sheena shook her head, trying to suppress her smile. The red head turned his gaze to Regal with an expectant expression. 'How 'bout you handsome?' he asked slyly. The businessman's smile faltered and his shoulders tensed as he processed the words. After a second he exhaled slowly;

'Heavens, Zelos I thought you were serious' the large man muttered.

'Who said I wasn't? It's either a nice big kiss or you sign over fifty percent of your company, Mr President' Zelos deadpanned back at him, trying to contain his laughter at the large man's discomfort 'decisions, decisions…' The rest of the party laughed until Raine gently tapped Zelos on the top of his head.

'Enough' she said sternly, back in her role as healer, turning her attention to the man's injured leg. Sure enough blood had seeped through his white pants, leaving a sizeable mark.

'Man, that's gonna stain…' Zelos griped, watching Raine work. First she snapped off the head of the arrow, then the tail before starting to ease the shaft out of his thigh. 'Easy there, darling' he said, wincing.

'Don't be such a baby' the woman reprimanded with a noticeable hint of affection 'its half way out already, see?'

'Yeah, yeah' the swordsman answered with a long sigh, and with one last tug, the arrow was pulled free. Immediately Raine closed the wound with her magic and Zelos smiled up at her. 'So, Doc, am I gonna be able to dance again?'

'Run, dance and chase skirts to you're hearts content' she replied, smiling that smile she had come to save just for him when he sent her a covert wink.

'Well alright then' Zelos said, getting gingerly to his feet, stretching his newly healed leg 'time to go to work, everyone on the transporter' the group obeyed and awkwardly squeezed onto the too small metal disk. The red haired man punched in the co-ordinates and climbed into the tightly packed huddle, sneaking the opportunity to pull Raine close to his chest under the guise of conserving space. As the device powered up, the group was wracked with the sense of instantaneous travel that was impossible to get used to and, as one, they vanished from the dark cavern.

* * *

The disorientation that often came with portal transportation was six times worse when the party arrived all at once on a transporter designed for pairs. First Genis fell with a yelp, dragging his sister down with him, and then when Regal lost his normally steady footing it was all over. The blue haired man stumbled backwards, knocking into Zelos and Sheena who fell like dominos.

Y'know later when we tell Lloyd and Colette about this daring escape…?' Zelos grunted from the dusty ground '…can we all agree to leave this part out?'

'Seconded' Regal said sheepishly, giving the red head a hand to his feet while Presea, who had miraculously managed to remain standing, offered her small hand to Sheena.

'Now what do we do?' Genis chimed in, the sage siblings looking quite comical as they helped each other to stand. The group automatically turned to Zelos, who for the duration of the escape, had been silently nominated as their de facto leader. Squirming ever so slightly under the sudden rush of attention, the swordsman looked around the room, taking his bearings. Either side of him there were two passageways, one leading upwards, the other heading deeper underground.

'Right, you guys need to head that way' he said, pointing towards the first tunnel that led higher 'It'll take you to a balcony over the Great Seed chamber, that's where Mithos is, and Lloyd will be there soon, if he isn't already, and he's gonna need backup' Raine opened her mouth to protest, but Sheena beat her to it.

'What about you?' the ninja asked, concerned, and Zelos turned to face the group, noticeably avoiding Raine's eyes.

'I'm going to get the Aionis for Lloyd' he said quickly, gesturing over his shoulder to the second dark tunnel behind him 'without it; all this will have been for nothing'

'You're going alone?' Genis' small voice sounded from where he stood in front of his sister, surprising the other's with his sudden concern. Zelos understood completely. He and the mage hadn't exactly been the best of friends during the journey, but the near miss they had just shared had thrown a few things into light for the young boy. Zelos had almost been killed trying to save him, which was something he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

'Yeah, I'm going alone' Zelos reiterated evenly, looking back at him squarely.

'But you saw those angels!' Genis persisted, shaking his head wildly 'they called you a traitor, what if they told everyone else? What if they told Yggdrassil? Zelos stepped forward and knelt in front of him placing a hand on his small shoulder.

'Then I'll be careful' he said firmly, giving the emotional boy a light shake 'right?' when Genis didn't respond he shook him again, harder this time '_right_?'

'Okay…' the mage said in a quiet voice, blinking harshly and wiping his eyes with the heels of his palms.

'Okay?' Zelos asked, unconvinced, ruffling the boy's silver hair

'Okay' the younger Sage said again, stronger this time with a much more confident disposition. Raine's breath caught in her throat when her brother timidly stepped closer to the red haired man and wrapped his small arms around his middle in a hug. Zelos was taken aback for a moment before patting the boy's back gently. Pulling away sniffing, Genis stepped back allowing the tall man to stand.

'Right,' Zelos said, giving the short mage one last ruffle of his spiky hair 'let's do this.' He motioned for the others to follow him to the mouth of the cavern. 'Head straight up, it'll take you to the balcony' he told them 'help Lloyd, I'll be along soon' giving the affirmative, the group set off at a run, wasting no time, while Raine hung back. Wrapping her arms around Zelos neck she pulled him into a brief but intense kiss.

'_Please_ be careful, Zelos' she whispered, resting her head against his. He brought up a hand to caress her cheek softly with a gloved thumb.

'No problem, babe' he returned with a confident smile 'now go' patting her boldly on the rear, he took off towards the second passage.

'_Impossible man_!' she called after him, laughter in her voice, before she raced off to catch up to the others. Zelos chuckled as he strained his memory to remember the twists and turns of the caves and how to reach his next destination.

'You better be there Aurion' he thought sharply as he entered the darkness once again.

* * *

Two left, one right, one straight, one right and…' Zelos murmured under his breath before he came to a round room almost pitch dark '…bingo' he focussed a small measure of his magic into his palm and conjured an orb of fire which floated above his outstretched palm, casting some light into the silent room. 'Aurion?' the red head called out, his voice echoing around him. Suddenly a second ball of flame appeared to his left, and Kratos himself stepped into view.

'You're late' the seraphim said imperiously and it was all Zelos could do not to feel like the badly behaved student he once was to the man many years ago.

'_Bite me_' the red head replied waspishly, tossing his fireball into the air, where it hovered in the centre of the room. Kratos did the same, and the two orbs of flame merged, growing larger and illuminating the whole room. The two stood in silence, staring at each other for a long moment before Zelos spoke;

'Do you have it?' he asked. Wordlessly, Kratos' hand disappeared into his thick cloak and he drew out a small chunk of faintly glowing rock. 'Wow, that's it?' Zelos asked, stepping forward to inspect the stone. Kratos tossed it at him with a flick of his wrist, staring as the younger man fumbled to catch it.

'That's all there is' he said gruffly, pointedly ignoring the other man's annoyed expression 'and its all that's necessary' as Kratos withdrew his arm, Zelos noticed the unmistakable colour of blood coating the older man's hand, trailing right down to the elbow.

'What happened to you?' he inquired, tipping his head at his former mentor's arm. Kratos raised his hand up and regarded it with a detached expression.

'A containment of angels reported to me a short time ago, informing me of Zelos Wilder's treachery. Apparently I was the closest superior to their position' he smiled a wolf's smile 'I convinced them otherwise' the emptiness in the older man's voice was enough to make Zelos require suppressing a shudder.

'Thanks, I guess' he replied grudgingly, Tossing the metal between his hands 'for this too' he added, holding up the aionis before tucking it safely into his jacket pocket. The seraphim nodded sharply before he swept towards the exit. 'You know, you could come back to us' Zelos called after him. Kratos stopped at the mouth of the tunnel, turning his head, but not fully looking back at him.

'I can't' he said, his voice sounding pained 'there are too many complications for me to simply…' he trailed off and something clicked in Zelos' mind.

'Origin's seal' he murmured, his memory turning back to a conversation with Yuan, long passed 'It's you isn't it? I mean I knew you were the one guarding it but…It's actually _you_ isn't it?' Kratos looked at the ground.

'Yes' he replied simply 'for your Summoner to make a vow with origin, I must die' he turned fully to face his former student '_that_ is why I can't come back. I will not do that to Lloyd'

'He won't accept this' Zelos said sharply 'you do know that right? He wont rest until he finds another way, you'll see' Kratos smiled ever so slightly

'There is no other way' the older man said, resignedly 'but I appreciate the optimism.' He started to move off again.

'Yeah, yeah' Zelos replied dismissively dispelling the fireball above him with a quick snap of his fingers and he jogged to catch up with his fellow swordsman. They walked in silence for a short time, cutting briskly through the dark tunnels. 'He's already forgiven you, y'know' the red head spoke up at length, and Kratos head turned sharply to face him. 'Lloyd. For fighting against him, all the deception… everything. It's just not in him to hold a grudge' Kratos remained silent, absorbing his words as Zelos continued 'Because in the end, you're doing everything you can to help him, and that's what matters. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but…' he took a fortifying breath 'he's lucky to have a father that cares so much for him' Kratos stopped dead in his tracks, startling Zelos, who had walked on a few steps before pausing. The older man looked him in the eye and gave him the most genuine smile Zelos had ever seen from the stoic man.

'Thank you, Zelos' he said, his voice shaking almost unnoticeably. He moved forward and slowly held out his hand. Zelos looked at the offered hand for a moment before taking it in his firmly. The two shook hands swiftly, all the dislike and mistrust that had existed between them over the years melting away leaving only mutual respect and a shared sense of dedication to a common cause. They let go and regarded each other as if seeing for the first time.

'You've grown' Kratos said softly, the tone of his voice was almost fatherly.

'Thanks in no small part to you and your son' Zelos replied honestly, placing his hands in the pockets of his white pants. Kratos was silent again for a long moment.

'I'm proud of you, Zelos' he said simply, truly meaning his words. The younger man didn't know what to say, receiving such words of praise from Kratos was like being given a gift from heaven. He settled for bowing his head slightly, like he did when they were teacher and student, so long ago. Suddenly there was a great rumble echoing own the tunnel, making the men lurch into the walls. They turned as one in the direction of the source.

'What are the odds that that's Mithos pitching one hell of a fit because he can't get his own way? Zelos inquired loudly over the din.

'More than fair' Kratos replied, narrowing his eyes in a scowl 'You better go' Zelos didn't need telling twice, and he took off at a run towards the Great Seed chamber, leaving Kratos in his wake.

* * *

As Zelos was closing in on the balcony he had sent the others to, there was another mighty tremor and the man had to dive to the edge of the passageway to avoid being crushed by a huge mass of rock as it fell to the ground.

'I won't let you do this, do you _hear me_? came Mithos' hysterical shriek, reverberating from the room ahead.

'Somebody's pissed' Zelos chuckled with satisfaction, doubling his pace. Breaking the surface of the rock tunnel, Zelos dashed to the edge of the balcony to see the party facing off to Mithos, Lloyd at the front. Behind the deranged angel stood Colette, who was looking around herself in confusion and fear. It seemed what Yuan had hypothesised had come to pass. Martel had been ashamed by her brother's actions after awakening inside an unwilling vessel and sacrificed herself to release Colette's body back into the young girl's control, and if the steady, throbbing glow was any indication, had returned her soul to the Great Seed, floating level with the balcony.

'Hey, Lloyd!' the red head called from his position above the room. All heads turned up to him and the party minus Lloyd showed relief written all over their faces. Raine in particular sagged against her brother who waved exuberantly up at the man. Comprehension dawned on the brown haired swordsman and his face lit up.

'Zelos, you came back to us!' he cried up to him, waving his own hand 'I _knew_ I could trust you!' Zelos smirked at him, silently thrilled that the young idealist had kept his faith in him even after his apparent disloyalty. Vaulting over the railing, the red head dropped to the ground elegantly, and moved swiftly to Colette's side while Mithos stared, his mouth flapping open and closed in shock and rage.

'Hey there, blondie' Zelos said brightly to the girl, placing an arm around her small shoulders 'miss me?' The girl nodded and giggled in response, beaming up at him with a wide smile. Mithos pointed a shaking finger at the red haired swordsman.

'You would betray me, _now_? The angel hissed, quivering with fury 'after I agreed to release you from your fate as the Chosen?'

'I guess I changed my mind' Zelos replied with an air of nonchalance, picking an invisible piece of dust from Colette's hair, making the girl squirm and giggle with laughter dispite their situation. With a scream of rage and frustration, Mithos thrust out his palm, sending a white hot orb of light towards the pair. Quick as a flash, the red head pulled Colette behind him, shielding her with his body, and with a hiss of scraping steel, he drew his blade and swung hard, deflecting the blast away. The magic streaked through the air and into a pillar, exploding in a flash of light and a shower of rubble. Zelos tried to block out the pain in his arm from the quick defence and shot Mithos a cocky grin, infuriating the blonde further. Immediately, the demented angel gathered the power for a follow up attack. The red haired man turned and took the short girl in his arms and dashed in a wide arc around the large room as Mithos fired wave after wave of rage fuelled light at them. Almost within the fold of the group, Zelos put on an extra surge of speed, but the dangerous angel saw it and fired ahead of them, the small explosion as the spell struck the ground threw up hunks of rock and dirt. The red haired swordsman screeched to a halt and threw up an arm to shield Colette and himself from the falling debris, leaving them vulnerable. Seeing the wicked gleam of victory in Mithos' eyes, Zelos hurled Colette towards Sheena who caught the girl in her arms, stumbling backwards to the ground. He turned to see a blinding flash of light blistering in his direction. With no time to dodge or attempt another deflection, Zelos tensed for the deadly attack to land. Suddenly there was a loud cry and a blur of brown and red as Lloyd dived in front of him, turning away the blast with a mighty swing of his twin blades, it smashed into the ground covering the two swordsmen in a coat of earth. Blinking through the smoke, Zelos tossed an arm around Lloyd's neck, laughing madly.

'Good to know you've still got my back, bro' he said, infinitely grateful that the red clad swordsman had stepped in.

'Yeah!' Lloyd replied with cheer, positively giddy to have all his friends back 'you got mine?' he grinned, dropping into a crouch, raising one of his swords towards Zelos, who recognised the gesture immediately.

'Do you even have to ask?' he replied, drawing his own blade with a flourish, clashing it lightly against Lloyd's in what had become a sign of camaraderie and respect between the two. Moving onto the balls of his feet, he began to sway back and forth, the familiar feeling of shifting momentum lulling him into a state of battle readiness. Mithos looked between them, his power rising, a white glow bathing his small body and a mass of shimmering feathers swirled around him.

'You will _pay_ for this treachery…' the angel growled towards Zelos, sending him a look of purest loathing. The rising hum of power reached a blinding point, and the party shielded their eyes from the blast of pure light, looking up in time to see Yggdrassil's butterfly like wings fanning out behind him, an expression of loathing on his now adult visage.

'I will kill you _all_!' he roared, thrusting a palm out towards the two swordsmen. Both males dived in different directions to avoid the razor sharp spears of rock that burst out of the ground beneath them. The sudden attack rallied the party into motion, Regal and Sheena lunged forward to support Zelos and Lloyd while Colette and Presea took defensive positions in front of the two Sages, who began to weave their respective practices of black and white magic. Meanwhile the two swordsmen rolled to their feet, ready to face the next onslaught. The very air around Yggdrassil seemed to crackle as he met the frontal assault presented by the ninja and convict, and with a pulse of energy, pushed both of them backwards, not caring when they both managed to keep their footing. The mad angel appeared to be everywhere at once as he warped erratically around the chamber in bursts of white light, harassing the melee fighters and the spell casters, leaving little window for counterattack. The party learned quickly not to cluster together in order to avoid being caught in the wide range of Yggdrassil's destructive sorcery. Suddenly there was a cry of triumph from Genis who had gone unheeded by the enraged angel from the battles opening. Raising his kendama, the small mage unleashed his magical energy.

'Move!' he cried to the others still trying to engage the malovent cruxis leader. As one the fighters leaped backwards to safety as Genis set the very air around his target aflame. The angel brought up his arms and his wings wrapped around his body in a desperate attempt to stave off the mighty flames. At the source of the spell, Genis felt rather than saw Zelos step up just behind him and he definitely felt the sudden surge of mana coming from the red head and the following blast of fire from his outstretched gloved hands. The fiery plume shot towards Yggdrassil while he was still caught in the harsh fires of Genis' spell. The two black magic spells fed off each other and combined into a colossal explosion that shook the very foundations of the large chamber. The two casters held their ground as the flames subsided and the excess molten rock left behind began to cool and gave off a wide screen of billowing smoke, obscuring their view. Zelos shot Genis a sidelong glance and a smirk, holding out his hand, palm upwards. The small mage recognised the gesture as something that the red head and Lloyd did sometimes, and with a shy smile, slapped his own hand down onto Zelos'.

'Nice job, kiddo' Zelos said, closing his eyes with a long sigh of relief 'that takes care of that crazy –' his words were cut off by a piercing shriek from behind the pillar of smoke. With a mighty blast of wind, Yggdrassil flew through the obscuring fog, his body badly burned and a look of berserk fury on his scorched face. His mad eyes fell on Zelos and Genis, and with a surge of rage and power, launched himself towards the stunned pair. For the second time, Zelos grabbed Genis and bodily threw him aside and out of harms way. The party watched in horror as Yggdrassil descended with terrifying speed on the red head, thrusting out both his arms. Zelos brought up his sword in both his hands in a last ditch attempt to protect himself from the coming assault, a blue guardian bubble enveloping his body. It wasn't enough. The furious angel slammed into the hasty barrier with all of his considerable strength and it shattered, as did the red heads sword. With a blast from his enemy's hands, Zelos was blown backwards; slamming into a pillar with enough force to carry him through it and his limp body hit the ground hard and skidded to a halt where he lay motionless on the tiles. The last thing he saw in his hazy vision before blacking out was a blur of purple landing in front of him wielding what appeared to be a sword of pure flame. The figure lunged to engage a surprised Yggdrassil, the sword blazing through the air. The red head's eyes slid closed and he knew no more.

* * *

Chapter 4 coming soon


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

* * *

Triple Agent - Chapter Four

Zelos woke to the feeling of a dull throb of pain, a warm pair of hands clasped around one of his and the sounds of whispering voices. As his eyes adjusted he saw Colette kneeling at his side, one of his hands gathered up in her lap. She gasped when she noticed him blinking up at her.

'Professor!' she called, looking over he shoulder 'he's waking up!' Following her gaze, the red head saw the others sitting a few feet away, Raine and Genis were huddled together looking almost ill with worry, but otherwise no worse for wear and Zelos sighed with relief. At Colette's exclamation the group looked up sharply and quickly made their way over to the fallen man. A space was made for Raine to inspect his injuries. Relief was evident on each of their faces, but none more than the silver haired teacher's.

'Yo' Zelos rasped weakly, his voice dry. Colette giggled and squeezed his hand. The swordsman attempted to sit up and bit back a groan and the sudden, sharp pain in his chest. Raine placed a gentle hand on his sternum and tenderly pushed him back to a lying position.

'Lie still' she soothed, smiling softly at him 'you took quite a hit back there' she faltered slightly 'several of your ribs were fractured, some broken. I've healed them but you need to rest for a little while longer. I had been hoping that you would sleep through the healing process but…' she ran a careful hand over his exposed chest and Zelos noticed for the first time that his coral jacket had been removed. Trying not to enjoy Raine's touch too much, he smirked up at the others, who had hovered behind the Professor worriedly.

'Be honest' he drawled 'which one of you undressed me?' the others laughed and Sheena flushed darkly.

'Shut up!' the woman responded almost automatically, elbowing Genis who had been laughing just a little too hard.

'It's quite alright, honey' he replied, a suggestive lilt to his voice 'It's quite understandable if you couldn't help yourself' he smirked as Sheena avoided the gaze of anyone with eyes and he discreetly grabbed Raine's free hand and gave her a quick squeeze. He propped himself up onto his elbows with a grunt of pain and the teacher tutted fondly as he grinned up at her. Out of the corner of his eye, Zelos saw Genis fidgeting uncomfortably. Tracing the boy's eye line, the red head glanced down at the mass of dark bruises on his torso.

'You alright, squirt?' he asked, concerned. Genis started, noticing that he was being watched and a pained expression came over his small features.

'It's my fault you got hurt' the young boy replied, his face downcast with shame 'just like before'

'Don't be crazy' Zelos dismissed immediately 'I'm fine, see? Just like before. And I'd do it again, too' he paused to look seriously at them all 'for any one of you.' Perhaps it was the latest string of near death experiences or possibly it had something to do with having all of the people that mattered to him back in one piece, but in either case, the recent events had made Zelos feel somewhat truth some, and he knew he owed each of them an explanation for his actions.

'I'msorry_'_ the red head said soberly, his face down turned 'for everything, really. I wasn't lying earlier when I said I'd been working with Cruxis and the Renegades' letting this sink in, he took a deep breath 'when all this began, I was approached by both factions with, ah, _requests_ to join them, and for a long time, I really was weighing you all up against each other' he laughed humourlessly 'I fancied myself as something of a 'free agent' at the time. I figured I'd wait until one of the groups made me the best offer, that's just how selfish I was back then. But you guys were just so…' he struggled to find the appropriate word '…_nice._' The party shared fond smiles of varying magnitude, from Colette's beaming grin to Presea's more subdued expression. Zelos continued;

'I never had friends that stuck with me for longer than it took to gain something, with a couple of exceptions' he smiled slightly in gratitude towards Sheena, and Raine cast her mind back to the long nights the two spent talking together and knew he was also referring to Seles. 'But all of you took me in, no questions asked, and made me one of the 'gang'. You laughed with me, fought alongside me, even kicked my ass when I needed it' again he looked pointedly at Sheena who flushed again as the group chuckled together. 'What I'm saying, I think, is that you're my family, and I betrayed you're trust, and I hope you can forgive me for what I've done.' More nervous than he cared to admit, Zelos forced himself to look up at the faces surrounding him. His worry was misplaced, as not one of them showed any anger or hate at his actions, instead there was only acceptance. Lloyd knelt at his side with a wide smile that the red head couldn't help but return.

'Zelos, it's because of you that we're all back together again, without you we could all have died. I don't want to _forgive_ you' the boy paused and held out a gloved hand 'I want to _thank_ you' moved by the young idealist's words, Zelos took the offered hand and squeezed it firmly. It was easy to see Lloyd's parentage when he smiled like that. The comparison reminded the red head of the man who had saved him once again.

'Hey, where's Kratos? Zelos asked, peering around the chamber 'I thought I aw him right before I blacked out' Lloyd stiffened ever so slightly. The young man was still having trouble coming to terms with finding out who his father was, and understandably so, this was the first quiet moment the he'd had to contemplate that fact. Zelos immediately felt guilty for reminding the swordsman of his turmoil. As though he could sense the sudden tension, Kratos himself stepped forward from where he had been standing in shadow, a short ways away from the recovering party.

'Wilder' the seraphim grunted in greeting, his emotionless mask firmly in place now that he was in front of the whole group.

'Thanks for…y'know' Zelos mumbled, trying in vain not to feel like a sloppy student '…_again_' he added, remembering that the older man had covered for him earlier when his false betrayal had been discovered.

'I was just passing through' Kratos replied coolly with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Zelos couldn't help himself and he snorted with laughter, as did Lloyd. The party stared in confusion at their sudden laughter, and even more so at Kratos who joined them. Making jokes about close calls and such had always been a particular brand of dark humour exclusively enjoyed by swordsman. A comfortable silence fell over the group and Zelos noted that it was the first time that the nine of them had been together in such a capacity. Colette scrambled to her feet, drawing their attention for a moment. The blond haired girl padded towards the centre of the chamber, gazing up at the shimmering Great Seed, using her hands to shield her eyes from the almost dazzling light.

'What do we do now?' the girl asked nobody in particular as the group followed her stare up to the Seed suspended high above them.

'You still intend to unite the two worlds, correct?' Kratos asked, already knowing the answer. Zelos dipped his head, well aware of the direction of this conversation. He felt Raine's hand softly grip the back of his neck and begin to rub softly and was immediately grateful for her perception.

'Of course' Lloyd replied, meeting Kratos' eye carefully.

'Then you in order to wield the Eternal Sword you will require the recognition of Origin' the seraphim said, catching the look of comprehension on Sheena's face 'the King of all Summon Spirits' he then stared pointedly at Lloyd 'to release him you must defeat _me_'

'But that's…' Lloyd began, spluttering, but Kratos cut him off by unfolding his shimmering blue wings in a burst of light. For a tense moment, Zelos thought that the duel between father and son would begin right then and there, but with a mighty push from his wings, Kratos kicked off from the ground and took off through a gap in the roof of the chamber, heading for the surface.

'Wait!' cried the brown haired swordsman, reaching an arm out towards his father's retreating form, but the man was already gone. The frustrated boy kicked out angrily at a jumble of fallen rocks, scattering them to the tiled ground. 'This should be _over_!' he yelled in the direction Kratos had disappeared in. Colette immediately rushed to his side laying pacifying hands on his shoulders. 'This should be _over_' Lloyd repeated tiredly, much quieter this time, the blond angel's soothing effect on him working almost instantaneously.

'Calm down Lloyd' she said softly 'you should rest before you get worked up and rush off again'

'Colette's right, Lloyd' agreed Raine from her position beside Zelos 'we've all been through a lot to get this far. We ought to take a little time to recuperate; Kratos knows this and will understand.' With no counter to the combined front of his lifetime friend and his teacher, the young swordsman nodded mutely and allowed himself to be steered by Colette towards what she thought was an exit. The girl floundered for a moment, peering between the several identical tunnels that branched off from the Great Seed Chamber. Confused, she turned to Zelos.

'Um, Zelos?' she asked quietly, a red tinge of embarrassment on her cheeks 'how do we get out of here?' Zelos chuckled in a faint amusement.

'Never fear, my little angel, I'll lead us out of this craphole' he flinched when Raine shot him a stern look 'I mean, the Great Zelos is never lost' he added hastily, mentally slapping himself for forgetting about the silver haired woman's zero-tolerance policy on swearing around the younger party members. He looked up at Regal with what he hoped was a winning smile and stretched out a hand.

'Mr President?' he wheedled with his best pleading expression. Rolling his eyes, the large man reached down with his shackled hands and pulled the redhead to his feet. 'Thanks, man' Zelos ground out, wincing at the pain in his ribs 'wheres my…' he trailed off as he spotted what he was looking for neatly folded under one of Sheena's arms. 'Sweetness?' he called, gesturing for the jacket and the Summoner strode quickly over to him. Zelos caught her eyes scanning his toned form and smirked, causing the ninja to blush and look away sharply. 'Prude' he said slyly, laughing when she threw the coral jacket in his face. Pulling the article over his shoulders he felt something jagged brush against his side and, feeling like an idiot for forgetting about it, Zelos slipped a hand into his pocket to feel the rough surface of the Aionis. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he saw Lloyd's lost expression, the poor lad looked like he was about to keel over.

'_Later_' he decided firmly, tucking the stone deeper into his pocket. Lloyd didn't need any new information to worry over right now. Forgoing buttoning his jacket, the red head limped over to Colette, feeling Raine move up to his right side before he had taken two steps and giving her a grateful smile for the support, ambled towards the left most tunnel out of the many Colette was fretting over.

'This way, folks' he called over his shoulder and the others moved to follow. Winking at Raine who smiled in bemusement, he put on his very best swagger. 'I could get used to this 'leader' gig, y'know' he boasted confidently.

'Is that so?' came Regal's deep voice, his sarcasm as subtle as a poke in the eye. Zelos continued unperturbed.

'Damn straight' the red head bragged, a sudden thought striking him 'and correct me if I'm wrong, Duke Bryant, but I distinctly remember someone matching your description calling me '_Sir_' not an hour ago.' The younger party members laughed as the large man stumbled over his response.

'That true, Regal?' teased Sheena, the humour putting some colour back into her face 'you're all for putting Tethe'alla's Casanova in charge?' The group laughed harder as Regal's eyes widened at the thought of taking orders from Zelos on a permanent basis.

'It was a joke…' the blue haired man tried to explain but that only seemed to fuel their amusement at his situation, Presea too had begun to giggle quietly. Taking a discreet peek back at Lloyd, Zelos saw that the boy was smiling slightly, but not enough for his liking, and he continued with renewed zeal.

'Well I'm totally for it' he said, tossing his hair with the hand that wasn't still wrapped around Raine's waist for support 'I have it on_ very_ good advice that chicks dig guys in positions of authority…' This latest statement was apparently enough for Lloyd.

'What?' he called disbelievingly from the back 'who says that?' Zelos craned his neck to face him with a wide grin plastered across his face.

'_Me_, of course!' he finished with a wink and the red clad boy snorted with laughter, unable to contain himself any longer.

'No way, man' Lloyd responded, coming out of his shell at last. Hearing the young man talking and laughing again had an immediate positive effect on the group and they fell back into easy conversation as though they were out on the high street in Meltokio. Mission accomplished, Zelos turned his attention back to the tunnels ahead. Raine pulled him closer while keeping mindful of his injuries.

'Well done' she whispered, and Zelos was certain she could detect a note of pride in her hushed voice.

'For what?' he asked innocently. Raine wasn't buying it.

'You know what' she replied with a smirk, tipping her head back slightly, gesturing to the party behind them, and the light hum of content conversation 'they needed that. Especially Lloyd'

'Yeah, well, kids got a lot on his mind, figured he could use a laugh or two' Zelos answered, warming slightly at the praise, ducking slightly to avoid a stalactite, hanging low from the rocks above. 'What about you?' he asked quietly, nudging the teacher gently with his hip 'what do you need?' The silver haired woman was silent for a moment before leaning closer with a sly smile.

'Ask me again when we're alone and I'll give you a list' she whispered, her tone sending a jolt through the man's body. She was getting _really_ good at this.

'I'll hold you to that, Professor' he replied, matching her low tone 'I did say that I wasn't going to let you go again, didn't I?' he added with sincerity, squeezing her closer.

'I know' Raine replied thankfully and a comfortable silence fell over the two, broken only by the chatter coming from behind them. The party continued through the dim tunnels for some time, following Zelos' direction. The red head stopped once or twice to recollect his bearings before striding off confidently once more down his chosen path. It wasn't long before they turned onto a passage with the unmistakable light of day blinking at them from the far end.

'Booyah!' Zelos whooped, turning to face the others 'admit it, you're impressed' he added with a smirk, secretly glad he had actually found the way out.

'About time' Lloyd retorted cheekily, shouldering past the red head before tearing off towards the light, Colette hot on his heels, their laughter bouncing off the walls of the tunnel. Genis squeezed between the two adults, moving to follow, but hesitated, jogging in place, in front of Raine. Silently she gave him a smile and a nod, and with that authorisation, Genis hurried off after his friends. Zelos snorted, drawing the older Sage's attention.

'You're such a Mom' he said, laughing harder when she elbowed him sharply in the side, carefully avoiding his damaged ribs 'easy, honey' he added soothingly 'I admire that maternal side of you, really. It's sweet.' Eyeing him for a moment longer to assess if he was still making fun of her, Raine gave him a half smile.

'It used to be just the two of us when we first went to Sylverant, and it stayed that way for a long time before we found Iselia. I had to be a sister and a mother for him' the teacher said a little distantly, eyes following her brother's retreating back.

'Well you did a great job' Zelos said honestly and was pleased to see a true smile find its way back to the woman's face.

'I like to think so' she answered, with pride for what Genis had grown into. Silence once more fell between them as they moved closer towards the tunnels opening, stopping when they reached the three youngest group members, who were peering out into the broad daylight from the mouth of the passageway.

'What's the hold-up, bumpkins? Not had enough cave already?' Zelos queried, taking a look over Lloyd's shoulder 'Ah' he added, noticing exactly what the 'hold-up' was 'I'd forgot about that.' From the ledge there was an attractive view of the main entrance to the Tower of Salvation, and also of the twenty foot or so drop between them and the ground. Lloyd gave an excited whoop and flung himself from the ledge landing not so smoothly on the grass bellow, which did little to dampen his spirits.

'Come on, guys!' he yelled up at them, waving madly 'It's not that far!' Colette giggled and in a blink of light, her pink wings revealed themselves. She grabbed Genis' hand and with even less warning then Lloyd, jumped from the ledge pulling the small mage with her with a squawk. Her wings fluttered happily, slowing their descent as they landed softly next to the brown haired boy to join his enthusiastic waving.

'Children…' Raine sighed fondly, looking uncertainly at the steep drop. Zelos smile turned wicked.

'Well if you can't beat 'em, darling…' he said slyly before sweeping her up into his arms and springing from the ledge. To her credit Raine did not scream, but she did squeeze her arms around his neck so tightly the red head was afraid his head might pop off. Wind whipping his open jacket about his sides, Zelos landed as gracefully as possible with his injuries. Carefully he set the slightly windswept woman on the ground. Gathering herself, Raine looked him in the eye for a long moment, ignoring the stifled laughter coming from Lloyd and her brother. Zelos held her glare for as long as he could before inevitably dropping his gaze.

'Are you going to do that again?' she asked in a way that didn't make her question actually _sound_ like a question, her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

'Um, no?' he replied, feeling like he was back at the Sybak Academy.

'Good' she said with a smirk and a wink, showing that she as just screwing with him. Zelos found himself extremely attracted to her in that moment. He sighed ruefully.

'Man, am I _whipped_' he thought, only slightly disturbed by the fact that he didn't care. Hearing soft thumps behind him, he turned to see that Regal, Sheena and little Presea had caught up and joined them down on the ground.

'So, where to now?' piped up the Summoner, using her hand to shelter her eyes from the sun.

'Well I for one would like to cast my vote for Altimira' Zelos cut in quickly, raising his hand 'y'know, if we're going somewhere to rest; it might as well be in style…' he trailed off.

'Why Altimira?' Sheena asked, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought of visiting that 'gaudy resort' as she had labelled it. Catching Regal's mildly offended look she shot him an apologetic smile 'sorry…' she mumbled.

'Why Altimira?' Zelos repeated incredulously, staring at the young ninja 'because it's _awesome_, that's why! There's a Theme Park, Casino, Theatre, not to mention a _Beach_!' he rattled off, chuckling 'what's not to like? There's sun, sea, sand and se-' Raine jabbed him warningly in the side 'sand?' he amended hastily. Colette giggled softly.

'You already said sand' the blond said, nonetheless looking excited at the prospect. Zelos could feel the heat of Raine's gaze on the side of his face.

'Yeah, well…' he hedged, sweating slightly under the heat of the woman's stare '…I just love making…sand castles' he finished lamely. Regal smacked a cuffed hand to his forehead in despair but Colette seemed more than satisfied with his answer, and turned to chat excitedly about this impromptu 'holiday', with Lloyd who could only nod along with the blonde's rapid words. Arrow successfully dodged, Zelos turned to the others with a winning smile. 'How 'bout it?'

'I think it's a great idea!' Genis chimed in, having barely heard the rest of the conversation past 'Theme Park'. The small mage was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in an obvious effort to contain his anticipation.

'I have no objections' rumbled Regal, thinking of paying a visit to Alicia up on the Sky Terrace of the Lezareno building 'and I appreciate the enthusiastic endorsement, Zelos' he added, with a smirk.

'Not at all, glad to have you on board, big guy' Zelos replied with a slight bow, and he looked expectantly at Sheena for her to throw in her two gald.

'I guess we could sunbathe?' the ninja directed at the pink haired girl beside her with a sisterly smile on her lips. The small axe wielder smiled in return and nodded, which was all the approval the red head needed.

'Great!' the man grinned at them both before turning lastly to Raine 'so…?' he coaxed, elongating the word. The scholar shrugged casually and Zelos thought he saw a wicked gleam in her eye.

'I don't mind where we go' she said nonchalantly, keeping her eyes locked on Zelos 'as long as I can give your body a _thorough _examination' Silence. The red head seemed to deflate slightly at the scholar's words, spluttering inelegantly, not _quite_ believing what she had just said. Sheena groaned at his antics.

'She mean's your _injuries_, you cad' she tossed over shoulder as she turned back to Presea, who carried the Wing Pack, containing the Rheiards. Raine shot him a sly smile and stuck out her tongue triumphantly and Zelos immediately knew that this was payback for his stunt at the ledge just now.

'My mistake…' he replied casually 'for a wonderful second, I'd thought the good Professor had succumbed to my charms' he sighed, placing a melodramatic hand over his heart 'Wishful thinking on my part, I suppose…' he added wistfully, smirking while Raine's lips twitched with suppressed laughter. At Sheena's calling the group stepped back to allow room for the eight flying machines to unpack from the small storage device.

'Let's get going!' Lloyd crowed, hopping onto the seat of an orange Rheiard that clashed eye-wateringly with his bright red attire 'I can't wait!' Zelos and Raine's eyes met again at the boy's proclamation as they climbed aboard their own sleek machines.

'Neither can I, Bud' the red head replied over the hum of the engines powering up, continuing to hold the silver haired woman's eye. 'Neither can I'

-End-

* * *

This chapter ends 'Triple Agent' a sequel/follow up featuring the 'Holiday' is in the works. Thank you to all those who read and/or reviewed this story, I hope that you enjoyed it.

In the meantime, feel free to take a look at 'White Magic', a slightly earlier story of mine set before this one (also Zelos/Raine)

Ciao


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